December 21, 2021

Snow Fright


Snow Fright
Surely she lost her immortality?! RIA Novosti Telegram

Snegurochka, or the Snowmaiden granddaughter of Father Frost, is an essential figure of the Russian holiday season. In Kostroma, this year’s Snowmaiden seems to be more of a snow job.

On December 13, online outlet Kostroma Today reported that the city’s sparkling Snowmaiden structure, once called the “bride of Darth Vader,” has returned for the second year in a row.

The Snowmaiden is thought to have roots in pagan lore, and was first popularized by the playwright Alexander Ostrovsky, in his nineteenth-century play “Spring Fairytale.” In the tale, the Snowmaiden is the beautiful and lonely daughter of Frost and Spring who relinquishes immortality for the ability to love. She evaporates from the sun’s rays when she finally falls in love and leaves her forest shelter.

The Kostroma decoration is of a sort commonly found in Russia and Eastern Europe during the winter season, made of metal structure and laced with strings of lights. You often see find reindeer, Christmas trees, bears, balls, and jingle bells, but sometimes you’ll also stumble across a figure so horrifying that you’d rather run in the opposite direction.

“Remove this monstrosity already - it scares everyone off with its eerie appearance,” one resident of Kostroma wrote. "Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky has already turned over in his grave a thousand times from such a disgrace of a city. When I pass, I cross myself against sin a little farther away."

Some Kostroma residents are fans of the strange lady, but others are distraught, finding her more horrifying than before. Although this is the second year the Snowmaiden structure made an appearance, it was only removed the first time at the end of May!

Do not look into her eyes, some advise… this Snegurochka sure isn’t as pure as the driven snow.

 

You Might Also Like

Of Soviet Santas & Snegurochkas
  • January 01, 2000

Of Soviet Santas & Snegurochkas

This time of year, many Russians pine for the calmer, friendlier New Year's celebrations of decades past, and struggle to preserve family holiday traditions
Bringing in the New Year
  • November 01, 2004

Bringing in the New Year

From her village in the Bryansk region, Laura Williams offers a distinctly rural picture of the New Year's holidays in Russia.
Kostroma
  • August 16, 2016

Kostroma

Irina Yemets takes us north on the Golden Ring to visit the colorful town of Kostroma, hometown of the Romanovs and Snegurochka.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Russia Rules

Russia Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955